FRANCE: Missing limb births prompt national inquiry

France has launched a national investigation into the number of babies being born with missing arms or hands – weeks after an initial inquiry closed. The first investigation began after it emerged more than a dozen children had been born with the condition in clusters in three French regions. It ended after health authorities failed […]

France has launched a national investigation into the number of babies being born with missing arms or hands – weeks after an initial inquiry closed.

The first investigation began after it emerged more than a dozen children had been born with the condition in clusters in three French regions.

It ended after health authorities failed to identify a common cause.

But now another 11 cases have emerged in the eastern region of Ain, prompting officials to open a fresh inquiry.

The condition is a type of agenesis, where the upper limbs of a foetus fail to form correctly during pregnancy.

It includes entire missing upper limbs, missing forearms and hands, or fingers – but not unrelated medical conditions, such as missing thumbs.

Health Minister Agnès Buzyn had already pledged a further investigation in the wake of the initial report’s lack of explanations, amid continued public concern and widespread media coverage.